In certain applications, such as landfills, forestry work, demolition and other environments, wire, nylon rope, vines and various other forms of debris can wind around the final drives of a track type machine during operation. This wound debris eventually pulls taut and can penetrate into the cavity that houses the final drive rotating and stationary seals. Over time, the wound material can destroy the seals, and allow the lubricating fluid within the final drive assembly to escape. Loss of lubrication can cause damage and/or failure of the internal final drive components. In addition, the wound debris can wear away the exposed ends of bolts that facilitate the attachment of the final drive assembly to the machine. This wear can make it extremely difficult to detach a final drive assembly from a machine, further complicating problems associated with servicing final drive assemblies prior to or after being damaged due to seal failure.
In some currently available final drive assemblies, a steel labyrinth is integrated with Kevlar rope to inhibit entry of debris into a seal protection passageway that extends between the fixed portion of the final drive assembly that is attached to the machine, and the rotating portion. Further protection against entry of debris is provided by a protective shell or clam shell that covers the entry opening to the seal protection passageway. For instance, this type of final drive assembly can be seen on Caterpillar D8 Track Type Tractors. Although this type of guarded final drive has performed well for many years, there remains room for improvement. For instance, it is sometimes difficult to remove track debris and often difficult to remove the protective clam shells. In general, customers want a robust factory final drive duo-cone seal guarding solution that does not require routine maintenance.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.